When Tastes Merge: One Home, One Too Many Opinions

One thing we all have in common is an objective to create beautiful, healthy and functional homes. But what happens when your idea of beauty varies from that of your roommate or significant other?

The ideal situation is one in which both people see eye to eye. However, more often one person has a strong design opinion and the other is generally happy to be removed from the decision making. There are also the cases when agreeing on what is beautiful and appropriate is not quite as easy.

Since my boyfriend and I moved in together a few months back, we've worked toward creating a home that we both love. For us, the process starts by talking about intention on a functional level. The more difficult step is coming to an agreement on what these elements actually look like. Every once in awhile we'll compromise on something really great. For example, our cowhide rug was an awesome, super durable, and stunning solution for the living room. Other times, one of us will bend for something the other just can't live without (such as the sexy little Bertoia side chair I found on craigslist for a total bargain.) Regardless of these instances, there are still moments when we just don't seem to be awed by the same things, and consequently, decision making is slow and somewhat tedious.

So I'm curious, what's your process? Does one person make all the design decisions? Do you divide and conquer? How do you compromise when it comes to decorating your home?